8. HISTORY OF EARLY SETTLERS. 
which to make their beds. While so engaged, they heard the 
wolves howling around them, which, at first, the men began to 
mimic ; but the noise continuing, and the wolves increasing in 
numbers, became so bold as to approach within a short distance 
of them ; the men got frightened, and pulled for the outlet. As 
they passed along into the lake, the wolves, thirty or forty in 
number, ranged themselves on each side of the sand-bank, snap- 
ping and howling like a lot of furies, to see them escape. After 
arriving at their shanty, they did not think proper to land until 
they had seen the last of the dusky forms retire in the shade of 
the woods ; whereupon, they repaired to the shanty, and kept up 
a large fire the remaining part of the night. 
Having, during the summer, cleared some of the land, and con- 
structed and completed a house, with the exception of the doors 
and windows, Mr. Lovekin thought of returning to his family, 
and, on the following spring, to bring them to their new home. 
He had about a hundred and fifty dollars in silver, with him, 
which, on account of its weight, he thought unnecessary to take 
back, so he concluded to place it in a hollow tree ; and for that 
purpose, wrapped it in paper, put it in a stocking, and securing it 
with a strong cord, hung it up in a holluw tree, which he had se- 
lected, and left the place. On his arrival the following year, with 
his family, he was somewhat astonished, on entering his house, to 
find it already occupied by an old bear, who rushed down stairs, 
without ceremony, and jumped through the window. On inspec- 
ting the house, it was found, from the quantity of leaves and brush 
piled up in a corner of the room, that the bear had taken up its 
winter quarters there. 
After having, in a manner, settled his effects and family in the 
house, he went to the tree to see if the money was all safe. He 
found a small piece cf the string, which had been secured to a 
knotty protuberance within the hollow, but the stocking, and its 
contents, was gone from where he had placed it. He felt disap-_ 
pointed, and considered it lost ; but occasionally it would revert 
to his mind that he was not sure of this, and so, some time after- 
wards, to satisfy himself, he set to work and cut down the tree, at 
the bottom of which, he found portions of the paper, and stock- 
